Tracy Baines

You are here: Home / Seaside Girls / Cleethorpes – Top Ten things to do in Summer 1939

Cleethorpes – Top Ten things to do in Summer 1939

I enjoyed putting together this list of top ten things to do in Cleethorpes in the summer of 1939.

I imagined what one of the characters in The Variety Girls would think was fun back then. It would mostly be simple pleasures and perhaps many of them would still apply today. A paddle in the sea is always a treat!

So here’s what the delightful Jessie Delaney came up with.

Top Ten Things to Do in Cleethorpes

Hello from Cleethorpes!

My boss at the Empire, Mr Jack Holland has asked me to write about what’s on offer in Cleethorpes this summer. This is my top ten!

1. See a show! The Empire is my first choice of course, but there’s so much on offer. There’s dancing at the Café Dansant and on the beach by the railway station you’ll find Jimmy Slater’s Follies – weather permitting.

2. Paddle! You have to at least get your feet wet or you haven’t been to the seaside.
3. Buy fish and chips – they always taste better out of the newspaper and sitting in the fresh air. If you like shellfish, cockles and mussels with plenty of vinegar are a treat – fresh from Cleethorpes mussel beds.
4. A stroll along the pier is free and if it’s a hot day and the doors are open you might catch strains of the Don Twidale Orchestra as you pass the concert hall.
5. The North Promenade is alive with amusements penny arcades. My favourite is the Laughing Sailor – the jolly red-faced doll that rocks to his own laughter. It never fails to get us all chuckling.
6. Ride on the horse and cart that takes you right out to the shoreline – and believe me, when the tide’s out that’s a long way indeed.
7. Take a dip at the outdoor bathing pool – it’s the largest on the East Coast – and quite possibly the coldest! But it’s exhilarating!
8. If you have your sweetheart with you, a trip on the Boating Lake is a must. You can sit back and relax and he can show you how manly and strong he is. All a bit of fun!
9. Try and find a table at the Grotto Tearooms on the Central Promenade. Tea and cake are my favourite treat.
10. Don’t forget to send a postcard to let all your friends know what a wonderful time you’re having in Cleethorpes!

Wish you were here!

Jessie Delaney